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Midas or King Midas (in Greek Μίδας) is popularly remembered in Greek mythology for his ability to turn everything he touched into gold after receiving this gift from Dionysus. This was called the Golden touch, or the Midas touch. He first turned a tree and a stone to gold. When he asked for a feast, his food and drink also turned to gold. Then it came to the part where his own daughter Marigold ended up turned to gold. Now, Midas hated the gift he had coveted. He prayed to Dionysus, begging to be delivered from starvation. Dionysus heard, and consented; he told Midas to wash in the river Pactolus. Midas did so, and when he touched the waters, the power flowed into the river, and the river sands turned into gold. After that, everything Midas touched returned to normal, even his daughter. This explained why the river Pactolus was so rich in gold, and the wealth of the dynasty claiming Midas as its forefather no doubt the impetus for this etiological myth. Gold was perhaps not the only metallic source of Midas' riches: "King Midas, a Phrygian, son of Cybele, first discovered black and white lead".

King Midas later retired and moved to the country where he became a worshipper of Pan. Midas was present at a music contest between Pan and Apollo which was refereed by Tmolus the Mountain God. When Tmolus declared Apollo the winner, Midas objected to this causing Apollo to turn Midas' ears to that of a donkey's ears. Midas was mortified at this mishap and ashamed of his new ears. He attempted to hide his misfortune under an ample turban or headdress, but his barber, of course, discovered the king's embarrassing secret and he promises never to mention it. However, the barber could not keep the secret to himself. He went out into the meadow, dug a hole in the ground, whispered the story into it, and then covered the hole up. A thick bed of reeds later sprang up in the meadow near where the barber dug the hole and began whispering the story saying "King Midas has donkey's ears". When Midas learns that his secret is now common knowledge, he died of shame.

He bears some relation to the historical Mita, king of the Mushki in Western Anatolia in the later 8th century BC.

Kratos first met with the king on the Canyons of Sorrow, where he was climbing onto a platform, telling the Spartan to leave him alone. Kratos found himself in the caverns under the mountains, surrounded by both waterfalls and pools of hot lava. Kratos, standing on a platform, witnessed a knelt Midas beside the river of lava. There, Midas warned Kratos to stay away from him, showing his cursed ability to turn all to gold, including his own daughter, something that made him weep. Midas then had a mirage of the River Styx in the Underworld. The very thought of death confused him, making him place his left hand in the lava, which burnt off, making him run away in agonizing pain. The severed hand turned the river into gold and allowed Kratos passage. After crossing the river of lava, and jumping off rocky platforms, he finally came upon a weeping Midas in one of the caves. Ignoring his warnings as he walked towards him, Kratos grabbed Midas and beat him unconscious. Having prevented Midas from turning him into gold, Kratos then carried him to the lava falls at the end of a tunnel.

After moving past several small hounds and forcefully dragging the King along the ground, Kratos slammed his head and threw him onto the edge. With a final plea to the gods from Midas, Kratos threw him into the lava fall, turning the entire stream, and Midas with it, into solid gold. This allowed Kratos to walk and climb on the lava and move on with his quest and in a way Kratos had finally given Midas his wish.